Jun 07 2010
Green Party’s Laura Wells on California’s Primary Elections
Voters will head to the polls in California tomorrow for the primary elections, to choose their party’s nominations for a number of seats including state Governor and Senate Representatives, as well as a number of ballot initiatives. While the Democratic Party’s Jerry Brown is running unchallenged, a stiff fight has shaped up for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Spending unprecedented amounts of money in the primary, former eBay CEO and billionairess Meg Whitman leads multi-millionaire Steve Poizer by a healthy margin in the polls, but only after having spent over $71 million, most of it from her own pockets. The more than $100 million spent by the two Republican candidates may hurt the party’s chances in the November race. Here in Southern California, Democratic incumbent House representative Jane Harman is up for reelection and faces a stiff challenge from progressive activist Marcy Winograd. A poll in mid-May revealed that Winograd trailed only 4 percentage points behind Harman and stands a good chance of winning the nomination. A number of important initiatives are also on tomorrow’s ballot: Propositions 14 and 15 affect the state’s electoral system in terms of voting and campaign finance respectively. Propositions 16 and 17 are a test of corporate influence over the ballot process – both measures have been sponsored by private corporations. The vast majority of Prop 16’s funding has come from P G & E (Pacific Gas and Electric), while Mercury Insurance has funded the Yes on 17 campaign almost single-handedly.
I had the chance recently to discuss the June 8th election with Laura Wells, an experienced non-profit manager with a background in finance and politics. Wells is running for the Green Party’s nomination for California Governor. We discussed her political platform, the governor’s race, tomorrow’s ballot initiatives, and her party’s politics. Wells is competing against local activist Deacon Alexander for the Green gubernatorial nomination. We invited Alexander to participate in today’s discussion but he declined the offer.
Find out more about the Green Party candidates at:
www.laurawells.org and www.deaconforgov.com.
One Response to “Green Party’s Laura Wells on California’s Primary Elections”
Laura Wells, the Green Party, and all of California’s political parties (large and small) urge voters to REJECT Proposition 14. It would essentially destroy the Green Party, eliminating nearly all Green (and other smaller-party) candidates from fall ballots. Other states with this system have re-elected nearly EVERY incumbent; smaller parties have disappeared. Some voters would get a “choice” between a Democrat and another Democrat, or a Republican and another Republican, in November. It does the opposite of what its proponents claim. Please vote NO on 14. http://www.StopTopTwo.org